I'm sure this will have been done before but:-
I'm toying with the idea of saving just "War Tax"
stamps, most of which will be George V
all of which will certainly be Commonwealth.
Has anyone any thoughts?
Comments?
Idea of changing my mind?
I think that would be a great presentation Professor,
No thoughts of War tax for Bahrain, Portugal, Spain etc &etc?
Postal War Tax of 1917 (Grrrrrrrrrr! Proboards always paste text in lined spaced, so I have to edit every line)
The article, "The Postal War Tax Act of 1917," in STAMPS
a few weeks ago, brought back memories of the "War Stamp"
overprints on U. S. 1¢ stamps, which created some interest
when they were seen for a short time in the mails during 1917.
British Colonials had been extensively issued up to that time
with "War Tax," and War Stamp" overprints, and the United
States had just recently entered the fight. Increased taxes,
in consequence were a foregone conclusion and with
discussion of an increase in postage rates, there was some
philatelic agitation for a special U. S. "War Tax" stamp issue.
Within a short time some of the 1¢ green stamps of the then
current issue were seen in philatelic mail from the Pacific
Coast, the stamps bearing a bright red overprint, "WAR
STAMP."
They had been produced by Charles S. Thompson, well
known philatelic writer, of Los Angeles, and he was using
them on all his mail, two cents for postage and one of the
overprinted 1¢ stamps as an additional rider. I believe he
thus hoped to influence Uncle Sam toward a specially
designated issue, but the Post Office Department failed
to adopt the suggestion.
When the ultimate increase in postage was passed by
Congress in October of that year, as Mr. McGee relates
in his article, no special issue was forthcoming and the
ordinary regular stamp issued were made to suffice.
The U. S. "WAR STAMP" overprints are still seen
occasionally in collections that were in formation during
that period and are regarded as interesting philatelic
mementos of World War I days.
- George B. Sloane
Sloane's Column
Stamps
March 18, 1944
